Going from Josh Allen to C.J. Stroud, Stefon Diggs will have transitioned from one of the NFL's best quarterbacks to another.
Through the course of Diggs' decorated nine-season career, though, his most memorable catch most likely came off a pass from Case Keenum.
More than six years after the Minneapolis Miracle, Keenum and Diggs are rejoined with the Houston Texans, and the quarterback sees a more experienced, genuine and driven wide receiver in the four-time Pro Bowler.
"I see a guy that is hungry for more," Keenum, who's played with Diggs on the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills previously, told reporters Monday, via team transcript. "He has been there, he has tasted it, he doesn't just want to get there, he wants to win it. He is putting in the time, putting in the effort, he is being himself with us and it is fun to see."
It was on Jan. 14, 2018, when Keenum let fly and found Diggs for a 61-yard game-winning touchdown with no time left that led the Vikings past the New Orleans Saints, 29-24, in the Divisional Round.
It was Diggs' third ąú˛úÍâÁ÷Ířseason. Thereafter, he began a run of six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and later a streak of four consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns. Each of those streaks will take him into 2024, his first season with the Texans after he was acquired via trade from the Buffalo Bills. It was the second trade of Diggs' career.
"I played with him in [20]17 and in [20]22, I saw a big jump in experience there," said Keenum, who has played with seven teams in his career and is now in the second year of his second stint with Houston. "In just a couple years too, I think even more experience."
Over the past half-dozen years, Diggs has gone from catching passes from Kirk Cousins in Minnesota to Allen in Buffalo to now Stroud in Houston.
While the Keenum-to-Diggs miracle of a connection will forever be frozen in Minnesota lore, it's not the only postseason success the wideout has had. Since the 2019 season with the Vikings through last season with the Bills, Diggs has experienced at least one playoff victory each year only to fall short of advancing to the Super Bowl.
Disappointing ends to the past few seasons for Diggs and the Bills saw his frustration seemingly boil over, leading to an up-and-down tenure. Nonetheless, the numbers persevered and apparently so too did his hunger.
"I think when you have been to the playoffs and you know what it takes to get to the wild card, divisional, championship round but you haven't made it all the way to the big one and won the big one, I think that just leaves you hungry," Keenum said.
